Portraits by Julie Gearan

Julie Gearan is a painter who moved with her family to Providence five years ago, after a number of years in Chicago. She was looking for a small city that is dedicated to the arts where she could raise her children in a relaxed, kid-friendly environment. Julie’s paintings focus on figurative narratives inspired by observations of the outside world and how they are mirrored in or collide with her domestic life. Juggling her fine art studio work and her commissioned painting (murals, portraits, and decorative work) with teaching and raising children has been a huge but not unforeseen challenge. “I always knew that trying to have a vibrant art career and a rich family life would be hard. Patience and flexibility are not natural gifts of mine, but I am learning that they are key ingredients in managing this kind of life. I guess any mom finds this to be true, doesn’t she?”

Julie, who holds a Masters in Fine Art, studied and taught in Italy and has shown her work nationally. She is currently building a portfolio of children’s portraits and hopes to spend more time on commissioned portrait work rather than the larger murals she has done over the years to supplement her gallery sales. “Working on canvas in the studio rather than high up on scaffolding is appealing to me. More importantly, I want to have my commissioned work be more meaningful and portraiture is so wonderful in that regard.”

The process of commissioning a portrait is fairly simple. The artist meets with the client and the subject and either takes photographs or if the client already has high quality photos, she can work with those, if desired. Depending on the size and complexity of the painting, a price is determined (approximately $800 to $2,000) and a deadline is set (usually between 1-3 weeks). A family portrait painted by Julie Gearan makes a lovely holiday, anniversary, or birthday gift that will become a family heirloom treasured for many years to come.

Tell Julie you read about her here and she will donate 10% of your commissioned portrait sale to help support Kidoinfo.

Made by Hand is an ongoing series where I highlight different artists and their work from Rhode Island and beyond. I will introduce you to a world of handcrafted works for both kids and adults – from toys, books, jewelry, art, food and more.

Join us every Friday at 10:30am for Storytime and activity. Our children’s story hour is for children 2-5 years of age (all ages are welcome) and is hosted by one of our storytellers extraordinaire- Miss[...]

Join us every Friday at 10:30am for Storytime and activity. Our children’s story hour is for children 2-5 years of age (all ages are welcome) and is hosted by one of our storytellers extraordinaire- Miss[...]

Storytime will include a story and activity/craft. Ages 2-5 (all ages are welcome) No need to register. Just stop in. Never a charge! Please contact kiddos401@gmail.com or (508) 405-0116 for cancelations. image: courtesy of Kiddos